Romney Has A Major Problem Among Women — And There's Not Much He Can Do About It

Quinnipiac University is out with a new poll this morning that shows President Barack Obama edging out Mitt Romney 49 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, building his lead with a massive 18-point advantage among female voters.

There are compelling reasons to suggest that this flagging support among women is not just Romney's problem. The former Massachusetts governor is not defined by his strong conservative stance on women's issues, and has even been criticized by his party for flip-flopping on abortion. Romney's running mate Paul Ryan, whose pro-life record is more consistently conservative, is also much better known for his positions on fiscal issues.

But Romney is not entirely blameless. Republicans have long argued that women are more concerned with economic issues than they are with contraception, and most issue-polling bears that out. But in the absence of a detailed economic plan from the Republican presidential nominee, voters are free to be distracted by trigger issues and party perceptions that could influence their vote for years to come.